With their season almost at its conclusion, the Brandeis men’s soccer team can now reflect on their season as a whole. As has been a recurring theme throughout the season, the team garnered high expectations after making it to the Division III Final Four just last year. However, with a 7-8-2 record and one game left to play, it is safe to say that those expectations have not been met. Still, though, the team has a lot to be proud of, and the season will be remembered for its high points and its low points. Unfortunately, one of the low points came last week — the team is currently riding a three-game losing streak. 

Chicago 2, Judges 0

The Judges had a tough task ahead of them, as they were facing one of the top teams in the country on the road. Although scoring early in games has been a hallmark of the Judges season, in this game, the Maroons flipped the script and scored in the opening seconds. Just 88 seconds in, Chicago got their first goal of the game off the leg of the ever reliable Matthew Koh. It was his 12th goal of the season. His 13th would come in the 14th minute of the game, giving the Maroons the 2–0 advantage they would keep for the rest of the game. 

WashU 2, Judges 0

Based on their records and statistics up to this point, the Judges and Bears were on relatively even playing ground before this game. These were the type of close contests the Judges had to win if they wanted a spot in the postseason. In this game, the Judges did not come through, and the team fell to Washington University at St. Louis 2–0. The Bears jumped right out in the first half and took control of the game, outshooting Brandeis 8–2. In the 18th minute, WashU had the ball near the Brandeis 6-yard box. A forward from WashU sent a through ball between the Brandeis defense which was scored by his teammate, putting the Bears up 1–0. The Bears tagged on an insurance goal near the end of the first half. In the second half, Brandeis controlled the ball a little more, outshooting WashU 13–10, but those shots could not find the back of the net and the game ended in a 2–0 defeat for the Judges. 

Amherst 2, Judges 1

This was the first meeting between the two schools since 1999, and Amherst wasted no time catching up. Just 60 seconds in to the contest, Amherst sent a banana shot from midfield into the offensive zone. An Amherst forward won control of the ball by heading it to his teammate in the box, who sent a rolling shot home to give Amherst a 1–0 lead early on. A little over 10 minutes of game time later, the Mammoths doubled the score. Alex Shahmirzadi connected with an open Sean Fitzgerald on a header in the Brandeis box that made the score 2-0 in favor of Amherst. In the 80th minute of play, Brandeis made strides to even the score. Noah Gans ’21 was dribbling up the sideline when he spotted Bryant Nardizzi ’20 running in the middle of the field. Gans launched a perfect arc to Nardizzi, who took a couple of dribbles before nailing the shot from 20 yards out. 

The Judges have one game left to play in their season, as they hope to bring their record to an even .500. On Nov. 3, the team will travel to the city that never sleeps to take on New York University at noon. Although the Judges may have missed their shot at this year's playoffs, the team will still look to finish their season off strong and beat the Violets of NYU. As the season is coming to a close, the team has already begun planning for next season. With a new class of first-years and ample time to practice, next season should be a great one for the men's soccer team.